CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1510651
26 November 2023 Cole speaks in awe of just how much Buckner does for veterans. "She's a ball of energy, like an Energizer Bunny angel," Cole says with a laugh. ough Buckner does much of the work herself, part of the reason Off-Road Outreach volunteers are so available is the Community Ambassador Program, in which participants have to volunteer 90 hours before they can raise money on their own or use the branding. Of about 30 current volunteers, about a third are ambassadors. e others volunteer for everything from picking up fliers at the printer to delivering sleeping bags at 11 p.m. "Homelessness isn't 9-to-5, but I do have to balance my love for them with family," Buckner says. Someone to care Buckner points out there are multiple entities in the Fayetteville area that provide support to feed and clothe the homeless. What makes Off-Road Outreach unique is the mobile unit that enables her to go to the need plus "providing wrap-around support to get them off the streets." "We feed you today and come back next Friday and talk about your goals from the week before and how to reach them." She and several peer support specialists also talk with veterans who just need a listening ear and someone to care. "I offer fellowship, and what is driving me is God," she says. "But that doesn't mean it has to be a part of the conversation unless they want that." Knowing Buckner and seeing her every couple of weeks when she delivers fresh produce gives Cole comfort and boosts her spirit. "It makes me still want to be here," she says. When Buckner rolls up to a homeless camp in her Jeep, she has a full refrigerator and freezer, a stove and an oven available. Aer providing a good meal, she gets the shower component to unfold, complete with a propane heater and a pump that plugs in for water pressure. She offers a set of clean clothing, and then the veterans can wash their own clothing and hang it out to dry. e outreach also focuses on suicide prevention and awareness services. "Anytime people gather, based on statistics, just being social saves a life. 'You have to connect to protect,'" she says, COFFEE | BREAKFAST | BRUNCH | EVENTS DINE IN, DRIVE-THRU & PATIO - PAW FRIENDLY Just Love Coffee Cafe EAT. DRINK. LOVE. FAYETTEVILLE ! FOLLOW & SHARE @justlovefayetteville 2723 Freedom Parkway Drive Fayetteville justlovecoffeecafe.com/fayetteville Local veterans know Stacey Buckner's tricked-out Jeep. Off-Road Outreach provides bagged lunches, snacks, bottles of water, hygiene kits and other supplies for homeless veterans.